Facebook Watch finds a purpose as TV testing ground

Facebook Watch has found a new calling as a testing ground for TV, even as it struggles to compete directly with the living room screen.

Take ABC's new show developed for Facebook, "More in Common." The alphabet network saw the response to the program on Facebook, where it has been running since the summer, and decided it could use the same content for a short-run on TV. Last weekend, "More in Common," a show that features Americans with opposing views becoming friends, ran in major local TV markets owned by ABC, including New York and Los Angeles during fringe dayparts.

"From a financial perspective it's a really interesting model," says Anna Robertson, VP of growth and partnerships at ABC. "It's a show funded by Facebook, and now it gets a second wind that we can now sell to advertisers."